As The Clone Wars gets darker and darker, some have begun to find the show less and less deserving of its PG rating. Over at True/Slant, writer Michael Roston questions whether The Clone Wars is still a kids' show, citing as evidence the scene from "Brain Invaders" where Anakin tortures Poggle the Lesser.
There?s no moral ambiguity in the scene. [...] Anakin Skywalker is faced with a threat to two people he cares about, and he does whatever it takes to stop it. Poggle is not a character any child would sympathize with or feel sorry for, and the actions taken based on the intelligence he provides go off without a hitch. The message to kids watching the show, at least to me, is that torture works.
In the article, Roston compares The Clone Wars to Fox's 24 in terms of pro- or anti-torture messages. No matter where you stand on the issue of children watching The Clone Wars, this is an interesting read and a thought-provoking piece as more and more younger fans tune into the series.